Furniture-bottom.



J. E. RALPH.

FURNITURE BOTTOM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2G, 1912.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

3SHEETS-SHEET 1.

lvihwoozo THE NORRIS PETERS C04, PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, D. C

I. B. RALPH.

FURNITURE BOTTOM.

APPLIGATION FILED APILZG, 1912 Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2V.

q/vi wwomo c D N m G N H 5 A w o H T m 0 H F a C S w E r E P w R R O N E H r .T. E. RALPH.

FURNITURE BOTTOM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26A 1912. 1,1 2&5923, Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I'HE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOm-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D, C

JOSEPH EMILE RALPH, or NEWARK, New JERSEY.

FURNITURE-BOTTOM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Application filed April 26, 1912. Serial No. 693,505.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH E. RALPH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture- Bottoms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to furniture bottoms and has for an object to provide a removable and insertible bottom for furniture with means for maintaining such bottom in association with the furniture to which it is applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for strengthening and supporting the removable bottom and with improved means connected with such supporting means for maintaining the bottom in position upon the furniture.

With these and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel con structions, combinations and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a view in inverted plan of a conventional chair seat with the improved furniture bottom applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the fastening members removed from the bottom. Fig. 4; is an inverted plan view of a conventional chair bottom with the removable bottom applied thereto and provided. with a metallic truss for supporting such removable bottom. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the metallic trusses removed from the bottom. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the fastening members of the top employed for attaching to the truss. Fig. 8 is an inverted perspective view of an embodiment of the bottom showing the bottom formed as a pan for the receipt of concrete material. Fig. 9 is a slightly different embodiment of the pan formation of the bottom. Fig. 10 is an inverted plan view of a chair bottom with the pan formation of removable bottom applied thereto, parts being broken away to show the construction. Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional View taken on line 11l1 of Fig. 10.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In its simplest form the improved chair bottom which forms the subject matter of this application is substantially like the ordinary veneer bottom of commerce and rep resented conventionally at 15. To the under side of this veneer bottom 15, fastening members 16 are applied, each comprising a strip of metal bent at about its midlength to receive a nut 17, one leg having a perpendicular foot 18 which is adaptedto be secured to the bottom 15 by a screw 19, and the other leg diverging obliquely from the first to form a brace member 20 adapted to bear against the under side of such removable bottom15. Through the nut 17 a screw 21 is inserted having a winged head 22 and a point 23 adapted to engage against and into the chair frame 24. Any desired number of these fastening members 16 may be applied to the bottom 15 but it has been found from experience that three of the fastening members serve the purpose adequately, two being employed to prevent lateral motion and one to prevent longitudinal motion, all serving to assist the others. As shown more particularly at Figs. 2 and 5, it is desirable to set the fastening members so that the screws 21 are inclined to produce a clamping effect to draw the seat 15 more firmly upon the rails 24 when applied.

For large seats it is found necessary or desirable to add strengthening means to the under side of such seats to assist in the supporting of the centers, for which purpose a truss 25 is provided preferably having three legs, as shown particularly in Figs. 4: and 6, such legs'being provided with flanges 26 by which the truss may be secured to the under side of the bottom 15 by means of screws 27. The truss member 25 is provided with a plurality of slots 28 in the several legs and a fastening member 29 is provided having a hook 80 on its straight leg to be inserted through some of said slots and a finger 31 on its oblique leg to be inserted, through others of said slots whereby the said fastening member 29 may be adjustably moved along said truss to accommodate itself to different sized chair bottoms. The

formation of the truss is such that the screw 21 is also set at an inclination in this form of the seat as shown particularly in Fig. 5. The truss member is preferably formed of sheet metal stamped in the usual well known manner for stamping such sheet metal articles.

Under other conditions it is desirable to provide different forms of chair bottoms than the ordinary veneer bottoms, for which purpose a metallic bottom is provided as shown in Figs. 8 to 10 inclusive. This sheet metal bottom comprises a plate 32 stamped somewhat in pan form with truss members 33 formed integral with such pan. As shown in Fig.- 8 the truss member 38 is provided with slots 28 to receive the fastening member 29 the same as the removable truss 25. As shown in Figs. 9 to 11 inclusive the fastening members 16 are employed and se cured to the plate 32 in the same manner as they are secured to the veneer bottom 15.

Into the pan formed by the plate 32 a concrete material 34 is filled, preferably strengthened by a piece of ordinary expanded metal shown at 35 and covered by a covering member 36 of any usual form of upholstcring covering, such covering being preferably secured by inturned flanges 37 about the edge.

Whatever the specific form of bottom, the same is provided with the fastening members so arranged as to engage the inner edges of the frame 246 of the chair and retain the bottom in position particularly by means of the inclination of the screws 21 and the engaging points 23 which bite into the inner edges of such frame.

It will be apparent that by the employment of either of the styles of chair bottoms disclosed, a bottom may be sold on the market with the fastening members attached, and applied to the chair frame by any one unskilled in the use of tools or having no tools to employ for the purpose.

I claim 1. The combination with an article of furniture provided with an opening defined by a surrounding frame, of a seat larger in area than the area of the opening and proportioned to rest upon the top of the frame, brackets removably secured to the under side of the seat and depending within the opening, and engaging screws carried by the brackets at an inclination and provided with points positioned to engage the inner edges of the surrounding frame.

2. The combination with an article of furniture provided with an opening defined by a surrounding frame, of a seat larger than the opening resting upon the top of the frame, a truss having a plurality of arms secured to the bottom of the seat, portions of each of said arms being raised from the seat and provided with slots, fastening members removably attached to the legs of said truss and proportioned to enter said slots, and a threaded member carried by each of said fastening members adapted to engage furniture parts.

3. The combination with an article of furniture provided with an opening defined by a surrounding frame, of a seat larger than the opening resting upon said frame, a truss secured to the bottom of the frame and comprising a plurality of hollow legs, the ends of said legs terminating adj acont the edges of the opening, the lower faces of said legs being provided with slots inclined downwardly, a fastening member carried by each of the legs and proportioned to engage said slots, and a threaded member passing through each of said fastening members and engaging adjacent furniture parts, said threaded members being inclined with respect to the plane of the seat.

at. The combination with afurniture structure provided with an opening and a seat adapted to cover said opening; of a fastening device comprising a member depending from the seat and inclined downwardly with respect thereto and provided with a plurality of slots, a fastening member comprising a pair of legs proportioned each to engage the slots of said slotted member, the

plane of the pair of legs being substantially coincident but the plane with a vertical plane passing through the slotted member, and a threaded member passing through said legs and adapted to engage adjacent furniture parts.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH EMILE RALPH.

Witnesses H. E. RUDOLPH, G. E. C0011.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 110. 

